An enchanting sequel through the wilds

“Enchanted - a journey through the wild” a book of rare wild life photographs will be launched together with an exhibition of photos from November 16 to 18 at the Harold Pieris Gallery of the Lionel Wendt. Compiled by Gehan Rajapakse, Namal Kamalgoda, Palitha Antony and Sarinda Unamboowe, “Enchanted” is a sequel to the successful book “Encounters – A Journey through the Wild” which the same authors launched three years ago.

The book offers a wide array of photos from many forests and jungles off the beaten track. The rare and nocturnal slender Loris has been captured in an expressive frame. As all wild life enthusiasts know this mammal is extremely difficult to spot. Another special shot by Palitha is of the rare ‘Mistletoe’(Dendrophthoe lonchiphyllus belonging to the family Loranthaceae.) plant from the mist-laden sub montane forest region of Adam’s Peak Wilderness sanctuary.

The last confirmed record of this rare endemic plant is in 1860 from the famous “Ambagamuwa korale” by Dr. G.H.K. Thwaites, then director of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya. A watercolour painting of the plant by Mudliyar Haramanis de Alwis Senavirathne, draftsman in the RBG at the time, is the only representation of its live natural form.

The book explores the jungles of Kumana,Wilpattu and Yala and beautifully frames against diverse backdrops, its leopards. Rare pictures of the Sinharaja forest where it frames the Bay Owl, the Horton Plains where the elusive Arenga has been photographed, the Morapitiya forest, Bundala and other small forest pockets where the spur fowl, other rare plants, mushrooms, wild flowers, butterflies and multi-coloured insects have been photographed are included. It has not missed out on the fishing cat, elephants, the wild buffalo, jackals and langurs.

The pre-publication price of “Enchanted – a journey through the wild” is Rs. 3250 and the first edition is limited to a thousand books only. Most of the shots in the book are taken by standard film cameras while some have been taken on digital cameras. The authors are all busy professionals: Gehan Rajapakse is General Manager Fund Management of Eagle Insurance; Namal Kamalgoda is Director, Capital Market Development and Asset Management of the Securities Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka; Palitha Antony is a Divisional Manager of Indo-French Laboratories and Sarinda Unamboowe is CEO of Linea Aqua of the MAS group of companies.

It is their knowledge of the jungle, the best seasons that are suitable for which creature in what location, their judgment of weather patterns and conditions, their in-depth study of photography and above all the love with which they engage in this passionate hobby, that have helped them bring out this book. It truly portrays the loveliness of our jungles through the eyes of four whose love is the wilds of Sri Lanka.